Overview
- Payments reflecting the higher rates will begin the week of Oct. 13, raising the maximum from $504 to $869.
- The Labor Department says more than half of recipients will see larger checks, with 27% qualifying for the new maximum and another 28% receiving increases.
- Existing claims will be recalculated automatically based on prior earnings, and no new application steps are required.
- With the federal loan repaid, employers will no longer be billed the Interest Assessment Surcharge, saving about $100 per employee in 2026 and $250 in 2027.
- The change arrives as an estimated 115,000 federal workers in New York go without pay during the shutdown, making the increase immediately relevant.